Chapter 245: High Profile
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Anfey, aren’t we a little too high profile?" Niya looked around and asked anxiously in a low voice.
Niya and Suzanna had always hidden themselves in the wagon, but now they dressed up and rode on horses at a moderate speed, which made Niya feel uneasy.
Niya and Suzanna obviously looked stunning. Christian looked handsome. Compared with Christian, Anfey was less handsome, but he was still better-looking than most people. Anfey would definitely be considered the second-best looking one in the legion.
Two handsome men and two beautiful girls on tall and handsome horses caught the attention of many pedestrians. Some people even kept looking back at them when they had walked passed. The people on foot made way for them as they approached. This world did not have any rules for roads, so people just walked anywhere they wanted to. Anfey and his group did not have any trouble riding on the street though.
Suzanna took out her senior swordsman badge, which she had not worn for a long time at Anfey’s request. She even hung the badge at the most obvious place on her clothes. Actually this badge was the reason people were making way for them. The appearance of Anfey and his group were different and gave different vibes. If one of them was a senior swordswoman, the other three could be even better than her. This created an impression. No one would want to have any conflict with four senior powers.
"This is good," Anfey said casually.
"Good? Are you letting necromancers know where we are on purpose?" Niya asked.
"Do you think they would not find us if we left quietly?" Anfey refuted.
"But…" Niya pouted. "Didn’t you tell us to do things cautiously? Look at what you are doing now."
"This time it is different. Men and women are equal," Anfey said.
"What? What do you mean by ‘men and women are equal’? Anfey, what are you talking about?" Niya did not get it at all.
"Isn’t Punk City right in front of us?" Christian nodded.
"Let’s take a break at Punk City," Anfey said.
"Anfey, it is only afternoon," Christian said.
"It is too boring if we keep travelling. Let’s walk around the city and take a break. It will be fine," Anfey said.
"Is this really ok, Anfey? We should follow Miorich’s plan and travel quickly. We should rest at Buenos City today, otherwise we will not be able to reach Boman Territory in three days," Christian said.
"Listen to me. We are taking a break here," Anfey demanded.
"Black Eleven and Apa should already be in Buenos City by now. Are we really resting here? They would have rushed to Buenos City for nothing," Christian said.
"That is fine. We can get to Buenos City tomorrow," Anfey said.
Christian helplessly rubbed his forehead. He did not know what Anfey was thinking about. It was obviously just a one-day trip, and Anfey wanted to spread it into two.
As they talked, they approached the city gate. Punk City was on the border of the war zone. Shansa Empire’s military did not have the ability to continue to invade towards the west because of a lack of supplies. This only affected people in Punk City a little bit, so Punk City did not suffer too much damage. The people around Punk City looked quite differently than in Violet City. The difference was obvious.
Seven or eight guards at the city gate saw Anfey and his group. They hurried over. From the way Anfey and his group dressed, they should be important people. Niya even wore her real Saul family dress. In addition to the magic surges from that leather armor, even the hairpins had magic. It must have been made by some mage who was so bored that he even wanted to spend time making such a magic item.
"Master, welcome to Punk City," the head guard at the city gate said with a smile.
The rest of the city guards had asked other pedestrians to move to the side to make a path for Anfey and his group. The rest of the guards stood on both sides of the gate to make sure their honorable guests were not bothered.
Anfey nodded with a smile. He glanced at an announcement on the announcement board out of the corner of his eye. It said that the city would collect a toll for one month in order to rebuild the city after the war. It was signed by the city master, a Viscount Nana, at the bottom of the announcement.
"Huh? It’s him," Niya said in surprise from the back. She had seen that announcement as well.
"Do you know this city master?" Anfey asked.
"Yes, but I am not sure if it is the same person," Niya said.
"This name is rare. It must be the same person. Niya, do you know his background?" Christian said.
"He was a servant of my father. There was an accident in a magic lab one time. He rushed into the fire to try to save magic crystals. His face was turned and he became blind in one eye. Our king had bestowed on him the title of nobility for his bravery. He was sent to another state to be a government official. He did something good later on and became a Viscount," Niya said excitedly. "He came back to see my father every year no matter how busy he was, but I never saw him."
"How could you never see him if he came back every year?" Anfey asked in curiosity.
"He did not want to see me even when I was little," Niya said.
"Why?" It got Suzanna’s curiosity as well.
"My father told me he was afraid that I would be scared by his face," Niya pouted. "Hmm, why did he do that? I was never a chicken."
As Anfey talked about the city master with Niya, the guards at the gate almost fainted. They knew the look of their city master. The lead guard gave others a look, and two other guards squeezed themselves through the crowd and disappeared onto the street.
"He is a good man and knows to think of others," Anfey said and smiled. Right now Niya could be scared, but she probably wouldn’t be scared by that city master’s face.
"Anfey, we should go in now," Christian said in a low voice. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger. It was unknown how many eyes had fixed on them, which made Christian feel very uneasy.
"This is for the toll." Anfey tossed a gold coin to the guard.
"Master, you…" The lead guard looked worried. He did not know if he should take the gold coin or not. If he took it, he was worried that he might get punished by the city master or not have enough change to give back. The toll was only ten bronze coins. How much change would he have to give back?
Anfey waved his hand with a smile to tell the lead guard that he did not need any change. He passed through the gate first. Suzanna and the others followed him on the horses. A guard came over, looked at the gold coin in the lead guard’s hand, and said quietly, "Boss, shouldn’t we go have some drinks tonight?"
"No!" The lead guard pushed him. It would be entertainment for everybody if he took them out for drinks. If something happened, he would be responsible for it. Only stupid people would do things like that. If the city master had been a servant in that girl’s house, it would be an issue if he took their toll. Instead of waiting for the city master to punish him, he decided it would be better to give the gold coin back.
The lead guard pushed the other guard hard and made him hit yet another guard. One’s nose was bleeding while the other one held the back of his head, screaming in pain.
Anfey did not notice the bloody incident he had caused with the gold coin. He casually looked around the city. Christian caught up from behind and said, "Anfey, where are we going?"
"The best hotel in the city," Anfey said.
"Do you know which one is the best one?" Christian asked.
"I don’t know, but he should know." Anfey called loudly to a boy: "Hey, kid, stop."
"Kid" was a negative word. Any young boy fell into this category. As Anfey called, about ten young men stopped at the same time. They all looked at Anfey, confused.
Anfey picked an older kid about fifteen years old. He tossed a gold coin to him. "Take us to the best hotel. It will be yours."
The big kid took the gold coin and looked it over for a while. He first shined it on his shirt and bit it with his teeth. When he realized it was an authentic gold coin, he was thrilled. He carefully put it away and signaled Anfey. He turned around and ran fast, straight ahead of them.
"Anfey, it’s so wasteful. That is a gold coin," Suzanna said in a low voice.
"Why don’t you try it. It feels good." Anfey passed a gold coin to Suzanna.
"What?" Suzanna said.
"Try it," Anfey tried to encourage her.
Suzanna looked around and tossed the coin. The coin fell on a homeless man who was lost in thought. That homeless guy had been jealous of the other lucky boy and did not expect any fortune to fall on him any time soon. He hurriedly picked up the gold coin, stood up and walked away without taking his begging sign.
"Nuts, nuts. You both went nuts," Christian rubbed his forehead and said with a bitter smile.
"This is nothing," Niya snorted. "I tossed out a handful of gold coins on my 18th birthday."
"A handful?" Anfey was thinking about how doable it would be.
"Ok, Anfey, stop it. Don’t make any trouble." Christian whipped his horse’s hind quarters. The horse whinnied, went up on its hind legs, and rushed forward.
After a while, the four of them came to a hotel named House of Mages. The older kid stood in front of the hotel door, breathing heavily. He looked like he was tired, but very happy at the same time. His parents worked very hard for a month for only a gold coin and a few silver coins. A gold coin was a lot of money for him.
Anfey jumped off the horse and smiled. "Thank you, kid."
"You are welcome, master." That kid looked even politer than Anfey. After saying that, he ran down the street. He looked like he was going to tell his family the good news that he had earned a gold coin.